Archibald bannatyne



(No Model.) I

A. BANNATYNE.

CLOCK CASE.

Patented May 29, 1894.

} UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARCl-IIBALD BANNATYNE, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEl/VATERBURY CLOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLOCK-GAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,628, dated May 29,1894.

' Application filed December 5, 1892. Serial No. 454,024- (lIo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD BANNATYNE, of Waterbury, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut,have invented a new Improvement inTimepieces; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon,to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in-

Figure 1, a View in front elevation of a time piece constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a view thereof with the backmember of the case open to show so much of the interior of the articleas is then disclosed; Fig. 3, a sectional view of the time piece on theirregular line 00-00 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional view ofthe article, to show the locking-spring by means of which the front andback members of its case are held together, and also such a push-pin asmay be used for operating the said spring in opening the case; Fig. 5,an enlarged sectional view showing the winding mechanism of themovement; Fig. 6, a detached view of the ring to which the flangedmovement-cap is attached; Fig.7, an enlarged broken View in section ofthe combined dial-plate, mat and bezel.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of time piecescalled clock-watches, which are very small clock-movements, of themarine type, mounted in sheet-metal cases, having the generalcharacteristics of watchcases, the object of my present invention being, to produce an article of reduced size, superior time-keepingqualities, and closely simulating in appearance, and adapted to beopened, wound, set and regulated in much the same manner as, a realwatch.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a time piece havingcertain details of construction and combinations of parts as will bemore fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a case, composed of a frontmember A, and a back member A attached together at their lower edges byahinge B, and both struck up from sheet-metal, the former'having anoutwardly ofisetting flange a, at its edge, and the C, which is ofordinary form, and furnished in the ordinary manner with a ring D. Theinner end of the said pendant is made hollow, and swaged and expandedupon the inner face of the said flange a, as at c in Fig. 4 of thedrawings, whereby the pendant is secured to the said front member of thecase. I do not, however, limit myself to fastening the pendant to thecase in the manner described, as it might be threaded, soldered, orotherwise secured thereto, but asI design to make the inner end of thependant hollow, as at C, it will probably be found most convenienttoexpand it for securing it in place. By making the inner end of thependant hollow, I adapt it to receive the beveled finger e, of thelocking-sprin g E, which as herein shown, (Fig. 4) is made of sheetmetal, and riveted to the inner face of the flange a',of the back memberA, of the case, its finger being bent outwardly at about a right angleto its main portion, and playing through an open notch a formed in theflange a, as clearly shown by Fig. 2 of the drawings. By snapping intothe hollow inner end of the pendant, the said locking-spring normallyholds the back member A, of the case in its closed position.

As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, I have provided the pendant with apush-pin, comprising a shank or stem F, a push-button F, located at theouter end thereof, and a beveled head F located at its inner end, thesaid pin being retained in place within the pendant by its button andhead. The outer face of the said head is beveled for engagement with thebeveled finger e, of the locking-spring, which, when the case is closed,sustains the pin in the normal position in which it is shown in the saidfigure of the drawings. When it is now desired to open the case, the pinis pushed inward by the push-button, whereby the finger of thelocking-spring is cleared from, or thrown out of, the inner end of thependant, thus leaving the sheet-metal fly-back spring G, (Fig. 2) theouter end of which engages with that leaf of the spring B, which isfastened to the back member A, of the case, free to act on the saidmember which is then thrown into its open position, as seen in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. It is not necessary, however, to employ the pushpin atall, as shown by Fig. 2, for the beveled edge of the locking-spring mayhe jumped, so to speak, out of the inner end of the pendant, by holdingthe clock-watch in the left hand, in the usual manner, and pressingagainst the edge of the rear member of its case with the thumb-nail; Ina watch-case constructed as described,the nail would be pushed againstthe rib a as seen in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The time-movement which I design to employ, in connection with myimproved timepiece, is a compact, carefully made clockmovement of themarine type, and comprises substantially circular front and backmovement plates H, and H, pillars I, for securing the said platestogether, and a train, which is in part shown by the drawings, but whichit is not thought necessary to describe in detail. This movement issecured within a circular, flanged sheet-metal, movement-cap J, theflange J, whereof stands at a right angle to its side walls, and isadapted in its external diameter to fit within the flange a, of

the front member A, of the case. The movement is secured in place withinthe case by means of the said cap, the flange whereof is perforated toreceive screwsj, which bind it to an annular ring K, soldered, orotherwise secured within the flange a, of the frontmemher of the case,as shown by Fig. 3 of the drawings. This ring is struck out ofsheetmetal, and not only forms a means for the attachment of theclock-movement, but also greatly assists in giving the case the requiredstiffness. While I prefer to use such a ring, it might be dispensedwith, and replaced by inwardly projecting fingers, forming points forthe attachment of the flange of the cap,or by some equivalents of suchfingers. The face of the cap is struck up to increase its depth, and soas to clear the features of the time-movement which are located upon theouter face of the inner plate thereof, whereby an economy of space issecured, and the thickness of the time piece reduced to the minimum.Thus, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the cap is struck up as atj toclear the ratchet L, its pawl L, and the spring Z of the pawl, as atj toclear the outer end of the regulator M, and as atj to clear the bearingN, of the inner end of the arbor O, of the third wheel 0, as shown byFig. 3 of the drawings. I do not limit myself, however, to striking upthe cap in the particular manner shown, for the form given to it instriking it up might vary with variations in the construction of themovement.

As herein shown, the movement is secured within the cap which inclosesit by means of two nuts P P, which are screwed down upon the outer faceof the same, and over the threaded outer ends of two of the pillars I,by means of which the front and back movement-plates H and 11 arefastened together, the face of the cap being perforated as at 01 i, atsuitable points to receive the threaded inner ends of the said pillarswith which the cap is engaged before the said nuts are applied. Asherein shown, the cap is also provided with two large perforations 2" i,(Fig. 2) which clear the nuts P P screwed over the threaded inner endsof theother two pillars, the outer ends of all of the said pillars beingriveted, or otherwise secured to the front movemenbplate H. Ifpreferred, however, the cap might be constructed to have the nuts of allof the pillars screwed down upon its outer face. On the other hand, themovement might he obviously secured within the cap independent of thesaid pillars, as by screws passing through it and into the backmovement-plate H.

To the front of the movement is applied a combined dial-plate Q, mat Q,and bezel Q all struck from a single piece of metal, and provided uponits rear face with short studs g; by means of which it is attached tothe front movement-plate. The dial-plate Q, re ceives the dial R, themat Q, gives the dial the required depth and appearance, while the bezelQ receives the edge of the glass S, which, as shown, is beveled, andwhich fills the opening A formed in the center of the front member A, ofthe case.

In assembling the parts of my improved time piece, the glass dial andmovement are placed within the front member of the case in rightposition, and secured therein by means of the screws j, which, as theyextend at a right angle to the plane of the case, pull in lines parallelwith the force that is required to firmly impinge the beveled edge ofthe glass against the inner edge of the opening in the front member ofthe case, and as the glass is seated and brought into position beforethe screws come to a stop, variations in its thickness will thus beaccounted for. It is not essential that the edge of the glass bebeveled, but that construction I prefer.

The only feature of the movement train that I wish to particularlydescribe, concerns the winding-key, as shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings.This key comprises a finger-piece T, made of wire, and a perforated,internally threaded hub T, in which the ends of the said finger-pieceare pivoted. The said hub is screwed over the sleeve L of theratchetwheel L, the said sleeve being thereto eXteriorly threaded. Thesaid sleeve is also interiorly threaded to adapt it to be itself screwedover the threaded outer end u of the main or winding-arbor U, which hasbearing at its opposite ends in the front and back movement-plates H andH. To this arbor is attached the inner end of the spring V, the outerend of which is fastened to the mainspring barrel WV, which is mountedon the said arbor so as to rotate independently there- IIO of. Normallythe arbor is held against rotation by means of the ratchet L, and itspawl L, the barrel IV, rotating and driving the main driving-wheel X,which actuates the movement with a force proportionate to the power ofthe spring at any given time. When, however, the time piece is beingwound by the rotation of the arbor U through the winding-key, themovement is actuated by a power represented by the power of the springplus the power of the fingers in turning the key. From this it will beseen that the maintaming-power provided for in this time p ece, issuperior in force to its normal running power, so that the time movementwill not lose while it is being wound. It will be observed, also, fromthe construction described, that the key is normally at rest, which isdesirable, as its rotation might cause friction in so contracted a spaceas is provided for within the case, and thus interfere with the actionof the time piece.

I The fly-back spring G, before referred to, is made of sheet-metal, andsecured by rivets or screws g g, to the periphery of the cap J, at asuitable point thereon for the engagement of the bevel-finger g at itsouter end with that leaf of the hinge B, which is fasten ed to the backmember A of the case. :FhIS arrangement of the spring avoids rivet- 1ngit to the case, and the consequent disfigurement thereof, it beingparticularly desirable to avoid riveting the case, which being of sheetmetal, is comparatively light.

It is obvious from the suggestions of change which have been made, thatin carrying out my invention I may make some alterations from theparticularconstruction herein shown and described. I would thereforehave it understood that I do not limit myself to such exact form, buthold myself at liberty to make such variations therefrom as fairly fallwithin the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware, however, that it is old to construct a time-piece of thewatch-clock type with a front case-member and a back casemember hingedtogether, the latter having a flange adapted to shut within the edge ofthe former.

I am also aware that it is old to secure the back case-members ofwatches of the watchclock type to their front case-members by means of aspring operated by a push pin located in a pendant secured to the frontcasemember.

I am also aware that it is old to locate a timemovement within a capadapted to be secured within the case of a watch. I do not, therefore,claim any of the constructions above referred to, broadly.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type,

the combination with a front case-member, of

a back case-member constructed with a flange adapted to shut within theedge of the front case-member, a pendant having its inner end madehollow, secured to the said front casemember, and a locking-springsecured to the back case-member and constructed and arranged to snapinto the hollow inner end of the pendant with which it is thusdetachably connected for holding the two members of the case together,substantially as described.

2. In a time-piece of the Watch-clock type, the combination with thefront case-member, of a back case-member constructed with a flangeadapted to fit within the edge of the front case-member, a pendanthaving its inner end made hollow, secured to the front casemember, alocking-spring secured to the said back case-member and constructed andarranged to snap into the hollow inner end of the pendant with which itis thus detachably connected for holding the two members of the casetogether, and a loose push-pin located in the pendant, and arranged toengage with the said spring to eject the same therefrom, substantiallyas described.

3. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type, the combination with thefront case-member constructed with aperforation,of aback casememberconstructed with a flange adapted to fit within the edge of the frontcase-member, and notched in line with the perforation thereof, a pendanthavingits inner end made hollow and secured to the said frontcase-member through the perforation therein, a she etmetal lockingspring secured to the inner face of the flange of the back case-member,and constructed with a beveled outwardly turned finger which playsthrough the said notch through which it projects into the hollow innerend of the pendant for detachable connection therewith, and a push-pinlocated in the pendant and arranged to engage with the said finger forejecting it from the pendant, substantially as set forth.

4. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type, the combination with thefront and back members of the case thereof, of a circular sheet-metalmovement cap, means for the attachment of the said cap to the frontmember of the case with its closed side facing the back member of thecase, and a time-move- Inent located Within and inclosed by the saidcap, and attached directly to the inside of the face thereof,substantially as described.

5. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type, the combination with thefront and back members of the case thereof, of a ring secured within thesaid front member in the plane thereof, a circular sheet-metalmovement-cap attached to the said ring with its closed side facing theback member of the case, and a time-movement located within and inclosedby the said cap, and directly attached to the inside of the facethereof, substantially as described.

6. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type, the combination with thefront and back members of the case thereof, of a ring fixed in the saidfront member in the plane thereof,

a circular sheet-metal movement-cap attached to the said ring with itsclosed side facing the back member of the case, and a timemovementlocated within and inclosed by the said cap, and attached directly tothe inside of the face thereof, the said face of the cap being struckfrom its inside outward to give clearance to those portions of themovement which project from the back movement-plate, substantially asdescribed, and whereby an economy of space is effected.

7. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type, the combination with thecase thereof, of a ring fixed therein, a circular sheet-metalmovement-cap having a flange extending at a right angle to its sidewalls, means for attaching the said cap to the said ring by the flangeof the former which bears directly upon the latter,and atime-movementlocatedwithin and inclosed by the cap, and attacheddirectly to the face thereof, substantially as described.

8. In a time-piece of the watch-clock type, the combination with thefront and back members of the case thereof, of a sheet-metalnvement-cap,a time-movement located within and inclosed by the said capand attached directly to the face thereof, a dial attached to the outerface of the front plate of the movement, a glass interposed between thesaid dial and the front member of the case, and screws passing throughthe cap at a right angle to the plane thereof to connect it with thefront member of the case, the said parts being constructed so that thescrews first clamp the glass between the dial and the front member ofthe case, substantially as set forth, and whereby variations in thethickness of the glass are thus compensated for.

9. In a time-piece, a combined dial-plate, mat and bezel, struck outfrom a single piece of metal, the mat flaring outwardly and rising fromthe edge of the dial-plate, and the bezel offsetting from the outer edgeof the mat, and consisting of a flange which presents a right angle incross section, substantially as described.

10. In a time-piece of the watch-clocktype, the combination with amain-spring-barrel, of a main arbor having its inner end threaded, amain-spring having its respective ends attached to the said barrel, andarbor, both of which are free to rotate independently of the other, aratchet-wheel having a sleeve which is interiorly threaded for itsapplication to the said threaded end of the arbor, and also exteriorlythreaded, a spring-actuated pawl to engage with the said ratchet, and awinding-key having a perforated, threaded hub which screws over the saidsleeve, and a swinging finger-piece pivoted in the said hub,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ARCHIBALD BANNATYN E.

Witnesses:

J. K. GOODRIGH, H. L. DANIELS.

